Although it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about car safety, a fire extinguisher could be the difference between life and death. In the UK, although accidental car fires are declining in number, arson car fires are on the rise, but on average 100,000 cars catch fire every year! There are a few reasons a fire extinguisher in your car can be helpful, such as:
Cars can catch on fire very easily
The thing with vehicle fires is that many people never expect them to happen. You may have your car regularly serviced and not carry dangerous chemicals, but car fires can happen to anyone. Car fires can be caused by a multitude of issues, including human error, temperature, mechanical and electrical problems. If you’ve had a pest issue in the area you park your car, rodent debris can catch fire when the car heats up, causing the spread of flames throughout your vehicle.
Avoid explosions
Car fires can rapidly spread, reaching places that store petrol and electrical wires quickly. If flames reach any place that holds a large amount of petrol, there is a large chance this will cause an explosion, as petrol is extremely flammable.
Help others on the road
The likelihood of you encountering someone else with a car fire is higher than you experiencing one yourself. As it is not a legal requirement in the UK to carry a fire extinguisher in your car, not everyone will have one. If you see someone experiencing a fire in their vehicle, you will be able to help them put it out.
You can control the damage
Although any size of fire can cause damage, having a fire extinguisher on hand will help prevent extensive damage to your vehicle – this is particularly useful when it turns out your insurance doesn’t cover the cause of the fire (eg. electrical).
If a fire in your car does break out and you don’t have a fire extinguisher, take the following steps:
- Switch off your engine immediately
- Get everyone out of the vehicle
- Release the bonnet but don’t open it manually
- Get far away from the vehicle in case of an explosion
- Dial 999
- Warn any on comers or onlookers of the fire
Here at Protect & Detect, we pride ourselves on ensuring we deliver a wealth of fire safety information to both domestic and commercial customers. With over 20 years of experience working in the industry, you can rest assured that we can help you with any fire safety issue you may encounter. For more information on our services, please get in touch with a friendly member of our team today.